We’re proud to say that Thrive Scholars started 20 years ago in the neighborhood of South Central Los Angeles. We knew then, as we do today, that the only thing keeping talented under-resourced students in L.A. from achieving career success is access to real opportunity.
With our support, our L.A. Scholars aren’t just graduating from college, they are thriving at top ranked schools — and joining our country’s most innovative companies with the skills and experience to be the professional, business, and civic leaders our region needs.
Top 7 Colleges for Los Angeles Scholars and Alums
Create a lasting impact in building a more qualified workforce by empowering students from Los Angeles with the resources and support necessary to thrive. You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
How Your Company Can Help Talented Scholars Thrive
Thrive Scholars offers a unique opportunity for innovative organizations to partner with us in creating a pipeline of exceptional talent. Our collaborative process aims to develop outcome-driven regional corporate partnerships that inspire deeper staff engagement and drive positive social change while supporting your organization’s diversity and inclusion goals.
Sponsor High-Achieving Talent
Your company can support local Scholars through our program by sponsoring a cohort each year. As “Company Name” Thrive Scholars, these students will gain valuable guidance and exposure to careers that align with your company’s success.
How We Make Your Business Stronger
Thrive Scholars took a chance on me — a first-gen, low-income Scholar with no network. They have given me the opportunities and resources to be academically and professionally prepared. But most importantly, Thrive Scholars has given me a support system and the confidence to compete alongside the best in the world.
Over the last 10 years, Zenith Insurance Company has sponsored, mentored and provided internships for dozens of Thrive Scholars, a number of whom now are part of our company family as full-time Zenith employees. Thrive Scholars’ intense focus on one-to-one coaching and guidance makes all the difference in helping promising young men and women of color get to where they deserve to be notwithstanding any economic or societal barriers thrown in their way. We are blessed to be part of what Thrive has done, is doing, and will do in the future. It truly is a remarkable organization, whose mission is uniquely suited for our times.
BMO Thrive Academy – Los Angeles
Our Los Angeles program is made possible with the generous support from key corporations and foundations invested in making a difference in the Los Angeles Area.
*These companies also participate in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
Contact our Los Angeles Executive Director
Martha Sanchez
Meet the passionate leaders who are driving the success of Thrive Scholars in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles Board of DirectorsIn 2019, the Boston Globe reported on valedictorians from Boston public high schools who graduated from 2005-2007. Their research showed that high-achieving students from under-resourced communities did not receive the same support, attention, and preparation for career success as their higher-income peers.
of these talented and motivated students didn’t graduate from college
of these households earn $50k or less per year 12 to 14 years later
got into and graduated from medical school — even though 25% aspired to be doctors
With our support, 100% of Boston Scholars in our program graduate, and more importantly thrive, in college. Over 90% go to Top 100 colleges. While there, they earn better grades and persist more in difficult STEM majors than all other student profiles. And they graduate with the skills and experience needed to be the professional, business, and civic leaders our region needs.
Top 7 Colleges of Boston Scholars and Boston Alums
Create a lasting impact in building a more inclusive and equitable workforce by empowering students from Boston with the resources and support necessary to thrive. You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
How Your Company Can Help Our Scholars Thrive
Thrive Scholars offers a unique opportunity for innovative organizations to partner with us in creating a pipeline of exceptional future leaders from all backgrounds. Our collaborative process aims to develop outcome-driven regional corporate partnerships that inspire deeper staff engagement and drive positive social change while supporting your organization’s diversity and inclusion goals.
Invest in High-Achieving Talent
Your company can support local Scholars through our program by sponsoring a cohort each year. As “Company Name” Thrive Scholars, these students will gain valuable guidance and exposure to careers that align with your company’s success.
How We Make Your Business Stronger
If I don’t graduate and get the right degree, I will have the passion but not the hard skills and tools I need to help me get where I want to get to. And Thrive Scholars has given me the support I need to make sure I know I can do it. They are another family—it helps to know that there are people, besides my immediate family, that are behind me who want me to do well.
Our early career recruiting team at Wellington Management has had a successful track record of hiring scholars from Thrive Scholars for our internship and full-time roles since 2018. The training and mentoring that Thrive provides its scholars is a significant reason why—we’ve found Thrive students to be eager to learn and ready to engage in all aspects of the business and culture of our firm. We look forward to continuing our partnership as Thrive grows nationally!
Our Boston program is made possible with the generous support from key corporations and foundations invested in making a difference in Greater Boston.
*These companies also participate in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
Contact our Boston Executive Director
Dan Navisky
Meet the committed leadership guiding our efforts to triple the number of students we serve in Boston.
Boston Board of DirectorsOur program prepares and supports high-achieving students across Chicago to get into the nation’s Top 100 colleges – and graduate with the career skills and experience they need to thrive at the most innovative companies.
Learn more about our programming in Chicago through firsthand insights from our esteemed board members and accomplished local Scholars here.
Today there are 2,500 students from economically under-resourced communities in Chicago with the academic qualifications to get into top colleges. To succeed at top colleges, these talented students deserve our full support — but there simply aren’t enough city-wide programs to support them all.
That’s why, as part of our strategic national expansion to serve as many students as possible, Thrive Scholars is proud to now call Chicago home.
Some of the colleges Thrive Scholars attend
Create a lasting impact in building a more talented workforce by empowering students from Chicago with access to meaningful opportunities and the resources and support necessary to thrive. You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
How Your Company Can Help Talented Scholars Thrive
Thrive Scholars offers a unique opportunity for innovative organizations to partner with us in creating a pipeline of exceptional talent. Our collaborative process aims to develop outcome-driven regional corporate partnerships that inspire deeper staff engagement and drive positive social change while supporting your organization’s talent recruitment goals.
Sponsor High-Achieving Talent
Your company can support local Scholars through our program by sponsoring a cohort each year. As “Company Name” Thrive Scholars, these students will gain valuable guidance and exposure to careers that align with your company’s success.
How We Make Your Business Stronger
As a first-gen, low-income student, I was worried about going through the college application process and transitioning to this next stage in my education on my own. However, my Thrive College Access Manager and College Success Manager have been with me every step of the way. The Thrive community is full of academic excellence and awe-inspiring success stories, which just make me more excited to pursue my own goals. I love my Thrive family for believing in me and pushing me to do my best.
We wrestle with how to help more kids of color find their way into leadership positions and careers in finance, law, and other corporate professions. Wellington has been a supporter of Thrive Scholars for years and has been impressed by their data-driven programming and results in getting motivated and talented youth of color into great colleges and helping them graduate ready to thrive in companies like Wellington. Wellington is excited to have played a part in bringing Thrive Scholars to Chicago. We hope other local firms will find ways to get involved and support Thrive in Chicago. Our problems as a City require us to harness the abilities of our most talented youth of color. We need them as much, or more, than they need us.
Thanks to our supporters in Chicago. Our expansion to Chicago would not be possible without the generous seed funding from key corporations and foundations. By supporting Chicago’s most talented, ambitious, students today, our partners are helping these Scholars to become the professional, business, and civic leaders of tomorrow.
*These companies also participate in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
Get to know the regional leadership driving Thrive Scholars Chicago's mission and impact.
Chicago Board of DirectorsOur program prepares and supports high-achieving under-resourced students in Northeast Ohio to get into the nation’s Top 100 colleges – and graduate with the career skills and experience they need to thrive at the most innovative companies.
There are at least 25,000 students from under-resourced communities in America with the academic qualifications to get into top colleges – many from Northeast Ohio. To succeed at top colleges, these talented students need our full support, just like that of their more privileged peers. Current programs aren’t enough, but Thrive Scholars has a solution. Refined over 20 years, our program works. And now, it’s working for Northeast Ohio.
Some of the colleges Thrive Scholars attend
Create a lasting impact in building a more talented workforce by empowering students from Northeast Ohio with the resources and support necessary to thrive. You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
How Your Company Can Help Talented Scholars Thrive
Thrive Scholars offers a unique opportunity for innovative organizations to partner with us in creating a pipeline of exceptional talent. Our collaborative process aims to develop outcome-driven regional corporate partnerships that inspire deeper staff engagement and drive positive social change while supporting your organization’s talent pipeline goals.
Sponsor High-Achieving Talent
Your company can support local Scholars through our program by sponsoring a cohort each year. As “Company Name” Thrive Scholars, these students will gain valuable guidance and exposure to careers that align with your company’s success.
How We Make Your Business Stronger
Coming from a background where there weren’t many people thinking about college at all. Thrive gave me a support system with peers and mentors to help me succeed in not only the college application process but succeeding in college as well.
When I first learned about Thrive Scholars, I was impressed with their ability to deliver tangible results. Their approach focuses on finding and supporting high-achieving students from lower socio-economic status and supporting them for the last two years in high school and throughout college. The result of this program is more than 1,100 alumni over twenty years - making a difference for tomorrow's leaders. STERIS is pleased to support the opening of a Thrive Scholars Northeast Ohio chapter. Our community can make a difference to these young adults, who would then be on a path to make a difference to our community.
Thanks to our supporters in Northeast Ohio. Our expansion to Northeast Ohio would not be possible without the generous seed funding from key corporations and foundations. By supporting the area’s most talented and ambitious under-resourced students today, our partners are helping these Scholars to become the professional, business, and civic leaders of tomorrow.
*These companies also participate in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
Learn about the dedicated leaders who are galvanizing Thrive Scholars' success in Northeast Ohio.
Northeast Ohio Board of DirectorsThe New York Metro area, New Jersey, and Long Island make up some of the most populous and most areas in the United States. New York City, home to Wall Street, is also one of the wealthiest cities in the world, yet a majority of students come from under-resourced communities.
Today, there are more than 1,055,000 students in the NYC school system, the largest school district in the United States. Of those students:
are economically disadvantaged
identify as students of color– 41% Hispanic/ Latino, 24% Black/ African American, 17% Asian
With only one guidance counselor for every 300 students in NYC schools, talented students need full support to succeed at top colleges, and Thrive Scholars has a solution.
Starting with a high school student’s junior year, our program prepares and supports high-achieving under-resourced students in the New York metro area to get into the nation’s Top 100 colleges and graduate with the career skills, experience, and social networks they need to thrive at the most innovative companies.
That’s why, as part of our strategic national expansion to serve as many under-resourced students as possible, Thrive Scholars is proud to now call New York home.
Some of the colleges Thrive Scholars attend
Create a lasting impact in building a more diverse and equitable workforce by empowering students from New York with the resources and support necessary to thrive. You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
How Your Company Can Help Talented Scholars Thrive
Thrive Scholars offers a unique opportunity for innovative organizations to partner with us in creating a pipeline of exceptional talent. Our collaborative process aims to develop outcome-driven regional corporate partnerships that inspire deeper staff engagement and drive positive social change while supporting your organization’s talent pipeline goals.
Sponsor High-Achieving Talent
Your company can support local Scholars through our program by sponsoring a cohort each year. As “Company Name” Thrive Scholars, these students will gain valuable guidance and exposure to careers that align with your company’s success.
How We Make Your Business Stronger
Being a first-gen from the Bronx, my family always supported me through my studies however they were unfamiliar with the college process and the steps I needed to take. Thrive provided me not only with counselors who knew the process but also a community of people to share my progress with. I thank Thrive for the people it has surrounded me with and the opportunities I have earned through them.
At Nespresso, one of the most significant ways that we support our communities is through collaborations with high-impact organizations such as Thrive Scholars that have proven to make a difference in bridging the educational gap of our nation’s future leaders.
Thanks to our supporters in New York. Our expansion into New York would not be possible without the generous seed funding from leading corporations and foundations. By supporting the area’s most talented and ambitious under-resourced students today, our partners are helping these Scholars to become the professional, business, and civic leaders of tomorrow.
*These companies also participate in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
Meet the changemakers who are transforming the lives of students through Thrive Scholars in New York.
New York Board of DirectorsToday, there are more than 130,000 students in the Duval County school system alone. Of those students:
identify as students of color– 41% Black/African American, 17% Hispanic/Latino, 6% Two or more races, 4% Asian
are economically disadvantaged
Talented and under-resourced students need full support to succeed at top colleges, and Thrive Scholars has a solution for not only Duval County but across Northeast Florida.
Starting with a high school student’s junior year, our program prepares and supports high-achieving, under-resourced students in the Jacksonville area to get into the nation’s Top 100 colleges and graduate with the career skills, experience, and social networks they need to thrive at the most innovative companies.
That’s why, as part of our strategic national expansion to serve as many talented under-resourced students as possible, Thrive Scholars is proud to now call Northeast Florida home.
Some of the colleges Thrive Scholars attend
Create a lasting impact in building a more equitable workforce by empowering students from Jacksonville with the resources and support necessary to thrive. You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
When I first became a part of the Thrive Scholar Family, I felt it was too good to be true. However, during Summer Academy, my skepticism was put to rest. I met dozens of kids like me, decorated with achievements, passionate about their education, and relentlessly chasing their goals. The men and women with whom I grew close became a significant source of inspiration as well as guidance. For example, I was stressed with the task of choosing a career path and a major. Yet after long conversations with my College Access Manager and professors at Amherst, I was able to create an outline that best suited me and my interests. I felt more confident in my career choice, and as a result, my anxiety for the future was replaced with excitement. It was a life-changing, euphoric experience that I will never forget.
The Community Foundation for Northeast Florida has long focused on helping students from all backgrounds succeed in public schools. Thrive Scholar's unique model is proven to help students from low-income backgrounds and communities of color succeed in high-paid, high-impact careers. We are incredibly proud to have played a leading role in raising the funds to expand Thrive Scholars to Northeast Florida.
Our expansion into Jacksonville and Northeast Florida would not be possible without the generous seed funding from leading corporations, foundations, and individuals. By supporting the area’s most talented and ambitious students today, our partners are helping these Scholars to become the professional, business, and civic leaders of tomorrow.
*This company also participates in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
Contact our Jacksonville Executive Director
Hannah Oberholtzer
In Wayne, Oakland, Macomb and Washtenaw counties there are 1,500 schools serving 600,000 students. There are 46,000 juniors in high school and nearly 23,000 of them come from economically disadvantaged communities.
Our Program
Starting in junior year of high school, our program prepares and supports high-achieving, underrepresented students from economically disadvantaged communities across Southeast Michigan to succeed in the nation’s Top 100 colleges and graduate equipped to achieve their full career potential.
Some of the colleges Thrive Scholars attend
Together, we are building a more representative workforce by empowering students from Southeast Michigan with the necessary resources and support to thrive.
You can make a difference in multiple ways, such as donating, volunteering, or joining our regional corporate partnership program.
Our expansion into Southeast Michigan would not be possible without the generous seed funding from leading corporations and foundations. By supporting the region’s most talented and ambitious under-resourced students today, our partners are helping them become the professional, business, and civic leaders of tomorrow.
*These companies also participate in our Corporate Sponsorship Program.
“General Motors is excited to work with Thrive Scholars and their data driven approach to support youth across the country. With nearly 2,000 students impacted, this programming is inspiring a whole new generation of innovators and leaders in STEM.”
Contact our Southeast Michigan Executive Director
Pam Serwa
